U.S. Open notes: Mirjana Lucic-Baroni stuns No. 2 seed Simona Halep

NEW YORK — Mirjana Lucic-Baroni couldn’t help but let the tears flow on Friday afternoon after her stunning 7-6, 6-2 upset of No. 2 seed Simona Halep in the third round of the U.S. Open.

Once upon a time, Lucic-Baroni was a teenage prodigy. But in 2003, she quit the game for several years because of financial and personal problems. She told Tennis Magazine that year that her father abused her as a child.

Those struggles made her dominant and unexpected win over Halep, all the sweeter Friday which, Lucic-Baroni declared the "best day of my life. … Definitely."

When asked to describe her journey, she was overcome with emotion.

"Well, that’s not an easy question," Lucic-Baroni said, crying. "It’s been really hard. Sorry. After so many years, to be here again. It’s incredible. I wanted this so bad."

For the first time in 15 years — since she made it to the semifinals at Wimbledon in 1999 — Lucic-Baroni is on to the second week of a Grand Slam.

"I was so young, and I was so good and I was winning so much that … it wasn’t really a big deal," Lucic-Baroni said. "Now, it’s just amazing. Every round is amazing.

"I mean, in a way, I know I sound and I feel like a little kid," she continued. "I love the feeling. I’m really happy."

WOZNIACKI MOVES ON: Caroline Wozniacki continued her run of recent good play with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win over Germany’s Andrea Petkovic.

Wozniacki made only 11 unforced errors on the way to the win.

"I feel like every match I’m playing better and better," Woznicacki said on television after the win. "I was serving really well … and I just need to keep staying aggressive and take my chances. So every day I have another match and a chance to be better, and it’s just great."

Wozniacki won 34 of the 51 points on her serve, playing in front of a capacity crowd on the smaller Grandstand court.